1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a valve arrangement of a commercial cooking device.
2. Discussion of the Background Art
A commercial cooking device comprises a cooking chamber enclosed by a door that can be opened and closed for providing access to the cooking chamber. If the door is opened during a cooking process, e.g., for loading or unloading food products, a pressure rise can occur when the door is closed as cold air streams into the cooking chamber and heats up and expands very quickly.
In order to balance such a pressure rise, a known valve arrangement comprises a housing that is connected to the cooking chamber via a first conduit. The interior of the housing of the valve arrangement is also connected to the atmosphere via a second conduit. A valve member that closes and opens the conduit leading to the cooking chamber is disposed in the housing. This valve member has the function of a pressure relief valve that is opened by the high pressure in the cooking chamber and opens the conduit and is closed and closes the conduit to the cooking chamber after the high pressure is relieved.
The valve disc of the known valve arrangement that opens and closes the conduit to the cooking chamber has a relatively small cross-sectional area and the flow resistance of the known valve arrangement is relatively high. In this state of the art valve arrangement, a valve disc is disposed in close relation to the conduit leading to the cooking device cooking chamber and is opened for allowing high pressure from the cooking chamber to escape by the influence of the high pressure in the cooking chamber which moves the valve disc away from the conduit. In a situation where there is a low pressure or near vacuum in the cooking chamber, or where fresh air must be allowed to enter the cooking chamber such as during dehumidification, the valve disc is unable to move away from the associated conduit, because low pressure, or fresh air entering from the outside, cause the valve disc to seal more tightly against the conduit leading to the cooking chamber. In this latter situation, the valve disc must be moved away from the associated conduit using a solenoid acting upon a stem affixed to the valve disc. There is no spring associated with the stem, so that movement of the valve disc is accomplished only by action of the solenoid upon the stem, or by gravity returning the valve disc to its closed location in close relation to the conduit.